The present invention relates to pressure gauges. More particularly, although not exclusively, the invention relates to a pressure gauge for a toy water gun.
Some xe2x80x9chigh-poweredxe2x80x9d toy water guns have a pressurised water chamber. A single held-down depression of a trigger will result in a continuous stream of water being ejected from the gun""s nozzle until such time as water in the chamber is depleted or air pressure in the chamber egualises with the ambient atmospheric pressure. Air pressure is increased in the chamber by a manually reciprocal pump action device.
Is it known to provide a convenient pressure gauge on such toy water guns to display the air pressure within the chamber. The known device comprises a pivotally mounted needle upon a dial or face. The shaft from which the needle extends has a pinion gear in mesh with a moving rack in turn associated with a spring-loaded plunger connected pneumatically with the chamber.
Such a pressure gauge, although useful during daylight hours is of little use at night time when children might be playing xe2x80x9cwar gamesxe2x80x9d in the dark.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantage and/or more generally to provide an alternative pressure gauge, useful in toy water guns or other applications including toys.
There is disclosed herein a pressure gauge device for a toy having a pressure chamber, the device comprising:
a housing,
a light source mounted to the housing,
a coloured transparency mounted movably to the housing,
a pneumatic actuator communicating with the chamber and moving the transparency, and
a display receiving light from the light source that has passed through the transparency.
Preferably the transparency is a multi-coloured disk.
Preferably the disk is mounted upon a shaft.
Preferably the shaft has a pinion gear mounted thereon and the pneumatic actuator has a spring-biased plunger having a rack moving therewith and in mesh with the pinion gear.
Preferably the display comprises a number of light-transmissive tubes extending from alongside the transparency.
Preferably the housing includes a back part to which the light source and disk are mounted, an intermediate part adjacent to the transparency, and a front part including the display.
Preferably the pneumatic actuator is mounted to the back part externally of the device.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9ctransparencyxe2x80x9d is intended to mean something that transmits light and affects the light in some way. It is not necessarily transparent, as it is most likely translucent at least in part.